1954 Chevy 3100 - Papa’s Truck

Two decades ago, this one-owner 1954 Chevy 3100 five-window was found in a barn by Guy Copeland, from McAlpin, Florida. He and his son Nick spent the next two years completing a nut and bolt restoration, bringing it back to original. Guy liked it stock, bouncy ride and all, and it became his daily driver for a decade. Nick comments that, "the truck had 100,000 miles on it and it never got to see one car show!" When Guy passed away, Nick and his family began another complete restoration as part of the grieving process, only this time they chose to update Papa's truck with a few modern conveniences.

Nick was particularly well-suited for the task. He acquired many of his talents from high school vocational programs where he picked up auto mechanics, welding, autobody work, and small engine repair. Farm life added several more skills along with a sense of hard work and motivation. Since he always loved everything about automobiles, he decided he would continuously refine his skills and it paid off. Nick has owned more than 100 vehicles over the years and they became a good source of income, easy to repair and sold at a profit.

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The goal for Papa's truck, however, was not to sell it but to give it a modern upgrade, outfitted with the latest aftermarket additions. A good ride was one of the first priorities along with tight steering and responsive brakes. Of course, a high horsepower V-8 is on everyone's list.

Nick says, "I wanted a hot rod but still wanted the nostalgic look. I wanted to make it better than factory."

The rebuild became a family affair with Nick's wife, Cheri; their twin daughters Natalie and Nikki; and son Casey helping in the process.

Nick has a well-equipped shop where he began mapping out the plan.

The first step was stripping the truck to its frame and boxing the framerails for strength. A Mustang II frontend with disc brakes and 2-inch lowering springs kept the vintage truck tracking straight and true. In the rear, leaf springs held the '69 Camaro 10-bolt rear with 3.40 gears and Moser axles. Monroe shocks stabilized all four wheels. Power was next and Nick found a 350 TPI V-8 engine from a wrecked '89 Trans Am. The Lake City NAPA machine shop bored the block and milled the heads but Nick did everything else, beginning by removing the fuel injection components and switching to a carburetor. The K&N filter on top screens the air going into the Quick Fuel 650-cfm carb that sits on an Edelbrock Performer EPS dual-plane aluminum intake. Vortec iron heads help to create the 10.5:1 compression and MSD HEI ignition lights the fire. Hooker ceramic-coated headers feed a pair of Flowmaster 40-Series mufflers. Nick estimates the engine is sending about 365 hp to the Turbo 400 three-speed automatic. The combination of a Griffin high-flow radiator, two 10-inch puller fans and a 12-inch pusher fan in front means this is a cool running Chevy.

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Once the powertrain was complete, Nick turned his attention to upgrading the vintage Chevy's style, beginning with those distinctive Tri-Bar headlights, formed from a patch panel for a '55 Bel Air. It created the perfect eyebrow for the truck, accented with a '55 beauty ring. The grille is a reproduction item from Eckler's, the bumpers were triple chromed, and new single-pane side glass replaced the vented originals. The rear fenders blend into the bed and, along with the Cadillac taillights, Nick added a custom rear pan with an inset license plate. The stake holes were filled, the rear wheels were tubbed, and a subtle spoiler added to the smooth tailgate. The bed uses cedar planks cut from a tree on Nick's land. Using talent rather than a checkbook, Nick found a low-priced set of Coys wheels on CraigsList that needed considerable work. It took some time to sand and buff them but after about a week and a half, the 20x8.5 rims up front and the 20x10 rims in the rear looked great and were a perfect fit for the 35-series Hancook tires. Nick accomplished his own black-with-ghost-flames paintjob, using a base coat and clearcoat system. He smiles when he says the colors are custom mixed, since they were made up from a few available colors left over from other jobs. Everyone's leftovers should look this good!

Moving inside, the interior renovation began with Dynamat everywhere. Plush power seats and center armrest from a 2002 Chrysler Concorde began the process, followed by Dakota Digital gauges, a Grant wheel on an ididit column, Lokar pedals, and a Pioneer stereo playing through a pair of 6-inch components in the kick panels and 6x9 triaxials on the rear cab wall. The tiny chrome switch on the top of the dash is a nostalgic touch, now repurposed to operate the new electric wipers. The old electric clock still works and has been in the truck for decades. The Chrysler Concorde also donated enough gray leather material for Nick to create door panels for the Chevy and a custom headliner is already in the planning stage. The restoration took nine months and the truck that never saw a car show has already won Best of Show, Best Paint, and Best Truck in the short time since it was completed. Cool trucks are always a work in progress and Nick's plans include air conditioning, power steering, and "maybe a little more work on that paintjob."